Slizz

It’s hard to review a band like Slizz without contextualizing their music in the history of their hometown. Detroit is among the most storied musical cities in the US, from Motown to the rock revivalists of the early oughts. In its timeless approach to Rock and Roll, Slizz’s “2nd EP” pays homage to traditions of old, holding the torch of history aloft to light the way forward.

This four-song collection (which will soon receive a vinyl treatment from Outer Limits Lounge Records) weaves its way through Big Star-inspired power pop to Steppenwolf-esque pyrotechnics to Pink Floydian brooding, often holding all these influences in hand at once. While firmly rooted in classic rock, the versatility from song to song is impressive, especially with the straightforward instrumentation (bass, drums, acoustic and electric guitars, and vocals). 

Guitars lead the way, as they should given the genre, and they often steal the show as in the unleashed dual solos of Crystal Ball or the Zoso-ode outro of Acid. But this is a band that clearly knows how to complement and supplement one another, with each of the instruments bolstering the others and filling the necessary space with strong performances across the board. The recording is straightforward, with a very 70’s analog sound, and the mix reflects the band’s authentic, organic playing. 

Slizz avoids being derivative by subverting some of the genre’s songwriting tropes: rather than prolonged jams or spacey grooves, they provide dynamic punches, melodic swerves, and fascinating layers both in instrumentation and stellar backing vocals that lift these songs into the modern era. Yet I don’t get the sense Slizz is invested in pushing boundaries: they’re celebrating a classic form and bringing their own flavor to it. 

This newest paean to psychedelic rock serves as a tasteful reminder of why it’s been a mainstay in American culture for the last sixty years: because when it’s done well, it has the power to transport and impact a listener like no other genre. On “2nd EP,” Slizz is doing it well.